1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for changing and guiding a running direction of a conveyor belt, and more particularly to an apparatus for changing and guiding a running direction of a conveyor belt, which can change the running direction from a horizontal direction to an ascent direction, from a descent direction to a horizontal direction or from a descent direction to an ascent direction of a conveyor belt.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is well known, in a factory, a warehouse and the like, a conveyor belt is used for transferring an object between various kinds of apparatuses and between work stations, the conveyor belt mentioned above is constituted by a belt main body wound between a main drive pulley and a driven pulley, and it is structured such that a zigzag motion when the belt main body runs is prevented by engaging a guide body linearly arranged in a back surface of the belt main body mentioned above along a running direction of the belt main body with a guide groove formed on a peripheral surface of the main drive pulley and the driven pulley.
By the way, in the factory, the warehouse and the like, there is a case that it is necessary to change the running direction of the conveyor belt due to a difference in level between the apparatuses or between the working stations, a limitation of an arranging position for the conveyor belt, and the like. The change of the running direction mentioned above basically comprises a change from a horizontal direction to a descent direction, a change from an ascent direction to a horizontal direction, a change from an ascent direction to a descent direction, a change from a horizontal direction to an ascent direction, a change from a descent direction to a horizontal direction and a change from a descent direction to an ascent direction, and they can be mainly separated into two cases.
Accordingly, they can be separated into the case that a changing portion of the running direction forms a convex portion on a transferring surface of the conveyor belt such as the change from the horizontal direction to the descent direction, the change from the ascent direction to the horizontal direction and the change from the ascent direction to the descent direction, and the case that the changing portion of the running direction forms a concave portion on the transferring surface of the conveyor belt such as the change from the horizontal direction to the ascent direction, the change from the descent direction to the horizontal direction and the change from the descent direction to the ascent direction.
Then, in the case that the changing portion of the running direction mentioned above forms the convex portion on the transferring surface of the conveyor belt, only one conveyor belt can easily realize the change of the running direction by arranging a direction changing pulley for changing the running direction at a back surface (a back surface of the transferring surface) side of the belt main body constituting the conveyor belt.
However, in the case that the changing portion of the running direction mentioned above forms the concave portion on the transferring surface of the conveyor belt, that is, in order to change the running direction of the conveyor belt from the horizontal direction to the ascent direction, from the descent direction to the horizontal direction and from the descent direction to the ascent direction, it is necessary to provide a guide pulley for changing the direction in the transferring surface side of the belt main body constituting the conveyor belt mentioned above. In this case, since the direction changing pulley interrupts the transferring surface of the belt main body and prevents the object from being transferred, only one conveyor belt can not finally change the running direction, so that the direction change in the case that the concave portion is formed on the transferring surface of the conveyor belt is actually performed by combing a flat conveyor and an inclined conveyor.
Further, in the case that the direction changing pulley is not used, since there occurs a problem that a looseness is generated in the belt main body 1 and a running of the belt main body 1 becomes unstable, only one conveyor belt can not finally achieve the change of the running direction, so that the change of the running direction of the conveyor belt from the horizontal direction to the ascent direction, from the descent direction to the horizontal direction and from the descent direction to the ascent direction (a V shape) is actually performed by combining the flat conveyor and the inclined conveyor having a different running direction or the inclined conveyors and the inclined conveyor.
In accordance with the conventional art mentioned above, the change of the running direction of the conveyor belt in the case that the changing portion of the running direction forms the concave portion on the transferring surface of the conveyor belt is performed by combining the conveyor belts having a different running direction, however, in the case of changing the running direction of the conveyor belt by combining the conveyor belts having a different running direction, a plurality of conveyor belts are required and drive means is required for each of the conveyor belts, so that there is generated a disadvantage that a cost for arranging and operating them is increased.
Further, in order to smoothly moving the object between the conveyor belts having a different running direction, it is necessary to minutely set a diameter of a pulley in the conveyor belt and a running speed, and to always monitor a synchronism of a plurality of running conveyor belts, so that various difficulties are accompanied for setting and operating them.